Sayonara, My Love
by yiseunggi
Summary: A brilliant composer and a talented singer. However, they are not known. One must fall while the other goes up.
1. Day 1: Mosaic

**Day 1: Mosaic**

* * *

><p><span>Miku Hatsune wins award for "musical influential person" two years in a row.<span>

Luka Megurine and Gakupo Kamui's "and taboo..." stands strong for #1 in music chart!

Rin and Len Kagamine sells out new album in just 5 minutes.

Meiko is stunning for VOCAL magazine once again!

Gumi sighed as she turned the pages of the daily newspaper. The Vocaloids have done it again. Winning awards, achieving great success, selling millions of albums, and posing for countless number of magazines. Gumi knew she should feel happy for her friends, but deep inside there was something that pained her very much.

"Gumi, Master wishes to see you now," a female voice boomed over the speakers.

Standing up, Gumi walked over to her Master's door and knocked.

"Who is it?" said a voice behind the door.

"It's Gumi," she answered.

"Ah, come in, come in!"

The green-haired girl opened the solid door and slowly walked in. Gumi was here for one reason: Master had wished to speak to her. Privately.

"Gumi, have a seat." Master pointed to a chair to which Gumi obeyed and did what she was told. "Megpoid, you are our second Vocaloid revealed to the public. Do you understand?"

Gumi nodded. "Yes, of course. I am very grateful."

"Why yes, I am too. However, I...have something to tell you. There's something I've been thinking about for a long time, and I think it's best if you are demoted."

"...Excuse me?"

"You won't be completely gone. You'll just be in the back for the time being."

Gumi sucked in her breath. "Master?"

"I'm sorry Gumi. I know you have the passion for singing, but right now it's just not working well."

"B-but Master, I can do better!"

Master leaned back against his chair. "Our sales haven't been very high lately. Actually, it hasn't been high since the beginning. I'm sorry Gumi. I've tried doing everything I could."

Gumi, who had tears forming in her eyes, was now on her knees like she was being punished. "M-master. P-please. Just o-one more chance. If you do, I promise I will do better. Please master," she cried. "Won't you give me one more chance?"

Master sighed in defeat...or was it pity? He rubbed his hands against his forehead. "...Alright. Just one chance. Make it your best, since this will be your last."

Gumi stood up and bowed. "Thank you," she whispered as she turned.

"Good bye, Gumi. I hope to see some improvements next time we meet."

What Master didn't know was that as soon as Gumi closed the door behind her, she was weeping.

* * *

><p>"Gumi!"<p>

Gumi looked up startled as she walked into the Vocaloid mansion. As soon as she knew it, Rin was hugging her as if she hadn't seen Gumi in years.

"Gumi, I missed you!"

The green-haired girl tried to put on her best fake smile she could manage and patted the little blonde's head. "I missed you too, Rin."

"Rin," said a voice from behind, "stop it. I'm afraid you'll kill her."

"Stupid Len! She won't die!" Rin pouted as she playfully slapped Len's shoulder.

As soon as Rin and Len ran off somewhere, Gumi quietly slipped into her room and quietly shut the door behind her. _It seems like Miku, Lily, Gakupo and Meiko are hosting another concert while the other Vocaloids have the day off,_ Gumi thought as she slumped on her bed. But soon she found herself standing, looking for something. Looking for paper. Gumi couldn't sleep. She had to sing. She couldn't disappoint Master anymore. She had to rise or else she would fall. Gumi walked over to her desk to grab a pencil and an empty music sheet.

_It's okay Gumi. You can do it,_ she thought. _Write down a note; any note. Just go with the flow._

With a pencil in hand, Gumi sat on a chair looking blankly at the unwritten paper. Minutes past as she just sat there, and then the minutes turned into hours. It seemed like nothing was improving.

_Why me?_ Gumi thought. _Why am_ I _the failure? Gakupo looks like a girl but he has a lot of fans. I look more normal than him, but why am I not loved?_

As Gumi stood up, she noticed the room was dark since the lights weren't on, but she didn't care. Nothing mattered to her anymore. It didn't make sense. Gumi is a Vocaloid. Vocaloid's are widely popular around the world. Not everyone could easily become a Vocaloid. They have to be born with talent in order to become one. However, Master always told her that being a Vocaloid isn't a good thing. There's always some kind of a curse they are given. It made Gumi think her curse was to not become loved compared to the other Vocaloids.

_Why am I not loved? I love to sing. I'm here to make people like my singing. Gain population. Gain love. Gain...everything._

At last she saw her reflection on a mirror hanging on one side of the wall. She stood there for what it felt like eternity. _Is it because of my green hair? Am I weird?_

Trembling, she grabbed a pair of scissors from a nearby table.

"Maybe if I change myself... Will I be noticed?"

With the scissors about ten centimeters close to her neck, Gumi shivered.

_I'll change. I'll change to make people like me._ Gumi thought.

She closed her eyes. "...I'll change."

Gumi was so focused on her appearance that she didn't notice someone entering her room. She was sucked into her own little world so much that Gumi didn't come back to reality until a strong hand grasped her arm and someone said, "Gumi?"

Gumi opened her eyes. She was so startled at the person standing next to her. Her eyes locked on Kaito, the man standing next to her, as she wondered how long he had seen her in this terrifying condition. The blue-haired man looked at her with a frown and raised his eyebrows in curiosity. Kaito was a Vocaloid just like Gumi. Even though they are from different companies, what makes them the same, however, is the fact that he was deemed as a failure by Crypton Future Media. Kaito was a failure just like her, except Master was kind enough not to say that horrid word to her face.

_Failure._

* * *

><p><strong>As you all know, Gumi, Gakupo, and Lily are by INTERNET Co. while Meiko, Kaito, Miku, Rin, Len, and Luka are created by Crypton Future Media.<strong>

**I will have the next chapter uploaded soon! I hope you enjoyed reading! :)**


	2. Day 2: Aria

**Day 2: Aria**

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><p>"Gumi," Kaito said sternly, "what were you doing?"<p>

Gumi dropped the scissors on the ground, but Kaito still wouldn't let go.

"Kaito," Gumi whispered, trying to act girlish, "it hurts."

She thought he would let go and act all worried saying stuff like _'I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!_', but he didn't. He just simply hardened his grip which caused Gumi to stiffen. Gumi had never seen Kaito look so angry and frustrated like now. Whenever she saw him, he was always smiling and acting like an idiot in front of his peers.

"What were you doing?" Kaito spoke again. Those words rolled out of his tongue smoothly, but to Gumi it sounded as if he had spat it directly at her.

"When did you come in?" Gumi said, avoiding the question.

"A while ago. Now it's your turn to answer my question."

"It's nothing!" Gumi smiled. Obviously, it was a fake. "What's for dinner tonight? Did Luka make sushi?"

"Gumi, don't—"

"Hey!" Meiko slammed the door open, barging in. "What's taking you so long? We have to celebrate! The concert—"

Meiko stopped when she saw what Kaito was doing. Her expression turned from shock to anger. Making Meiko mad is the last thing anyone would want to do. There's chance you might not even survive that day.

"What were you doing to her?" she screamed as she pulled Gumi away.

"Meiko—" Gumi said, but the elder ignored her.

"You're a grown man! Is this what you do to little girls when I'm not here? Huh? _Huh_?"

Kaito's voice was calm, but there was a hint of nervousness that only Gumi noticed. "Meiko, you are mistaken. I—"

"Meiko, it's all a misunderstanding!" Gumi shouted, holding back the grown woman. When Meiko released her strength, Gumi continued. "I was about to cut my hair but Kaito told me not to. He said I should go see a professional."

It took a while for everyone to leave Gumi's room. Dinner was the last thing Gumi wanted but as soon as she caught Kaito staring at her with a _'we-need-to-talk'_ look, dinner didn't seem so bad at all.

* * *

><p>Gumi excused herself from the table. She excused herself at the right time because as soon as she left the dining room, Meiko was drunk. Whenever Meiko was drunk, it was hard to leave the room without a scratch. Instead of going to her room, Gumi made her way out into the balcony and decided to get some fresh air before heading back inside. Gumi needed a break. Badly.<p>

"Why?" she raised her hand to the sky. "Why am I not good enough?"

"I don't know."

Gumi shook in surprise as she lowered her head to face where the voice came from. Kaito. It was Kaito who was standing next to her.

"Kaito?"

He helped himself down on an empty chair and made himself comfortable before asking questions. "What's wrong?" he questioned. "Is there something troubling you?"

"Nothing. It's...nothing. You don't have to interfere."

"Really?" Kaito tilted his head. "Are you sure?"

"Yes." Gumi mumbled.

It was silent after that. Neither would speak. Seconds past, then minutes, but no one dared to speak first.

"The stars are nice, aren't they?" Kaito said, breaking the silence first.

"Hm?" Gumi looked up at the dark sky.

"Look," he said pointing. "There's Cancer."

"Huh?"

"Your birthday is in June 26, isn't it? Your star constellation is Cancer."

"You remember?" Gumi turned to look at Kaito in surprise. The last time it was her birthday, everyone forgot because of their busy schedule.

"Hm."

Without thinking, Gumi rambled out the words, "Kaito, how do you make music?"

"Huh?" Kaito turned to look at her. "Music?"

Gumi nodded. "Yeah. You compose your own songs, right? You even make songs for the other Vocaloids!"

"Well, yeah, but—"

"How do you do it?"

"Well...uh...how do I say it..." he curled the end of his blue scarf. "It just comes to me. There's a unique feeling to it."

Gumi blinked. "How so?"

"Once I start, they all just come to me. I feel like I'm dancing along to my own music. The piano, drums, cello, guitar, bass, you name it. They all come to me and we start creating music together. It's almost as if they're alive."

"...You think of weird stuff."

Kaito made a nervous laugh. "I guess so. Why do you ask?"

"Just wondering."

"Oh?"

"If you can _feel_ the music, then why are you a failure?"

He stopped laughing. "That's because everyone is unique. Not everyone can be satisfied with my voice, no matter what song I sing."

"I see..."

"Gumi, do you consider yourself as a failure?"

"I don't know. Maybe."

"That sounds like a yes."

"It might be a no."

"Really? That's interesting." Kaito grinned.

"Master thinks I'm a failure. He doesn't say it to me, but I know he thinks that way. Do you think it's true?"

"About you being a failure?" Kaito asked. He stopped smiling as he answered, "No."

There was something about the way how Kaito was looking at her that made Gumi feel uneasy. There was something about his serious expression that made Gumi wish he would look away and forget about their discussion. Why was a failure looking at another failure with a serious look?

"Each of us has a reason. Each of us has a unique ability and a curse." Kaito said softly.

"Do you think my curse is being a failure?"

"No, that curse is mine."

"But at least you can make good music," Gumi said.

Kaito shook his head. "It's not the music that matters to the public. It's the voice. My voice is what makes me a failure."

"That's not true."

"...Gumi," Kaito stood up, "what if I help you?"

The green-haired girl was startled. "Huh?"

"Did you compose any new songs these days?"

"No, but—"

"I'll make them."

Gumi paused for a second before saying, "What are you talking about?"

"I'll compose the music," Kaito said. "All you have to do is sing."


	3. Day 3: Uninstall

**Day 3: Uninstall**

* * *

><p>The fact that Gumi agreed to meet Kaito at the recording studio the next day made Gumi nervous. When she entered the room, she found Kaito sitting on a chair behind a large table, completely focused on writing something on a piece of paper. Kaito wasn't aware of Gumi's appearance until Gumi came toward him.<p>

"Am I bothering you?" Gumi asked.

"No, it's fine." Kaito answered, giving her a smile. "Did you rest well yesterday?"

"Huh? Yes. Yes, I have."

Kaito nodded. "That's good. We'll be singing a lot today."

"A lot?" Gumi asked.

"I finished a song for you last night. I was working on a second one while waiting for you. It's almost done."

"You finished a song in less than twenty-four hours?"

Kaito laughed. "Yes. In fact, I forgot to tell you a rule I have when I make music for them."

"What rule?"

"I can only let you sing my songs if you let me sing the back vocals."

"_Huh_?"

"I won't steal your spotlight. I'll just sing some parts here and there."

"Do people allow you to do that?" Gumi asked with wide eyes.

"Of course. I don't let people use my songs unless I participate."

"Can you show me some examples?"

"I thought you would ask." Kaito said with a smirk. Gumi watched as Kaito reached to grab a blue iPod and give her the earbuds as he scrolled through his list of songs. The song "Just Be Friends" started playing and all Gumi could do was stare at Kaito in shock as he began to laugh after watching her reaction. Everyone knows that song. It's a song that Luka sang and it instantly hit an all-kill on various music charts for weeks.

"You sang in this song?" Gumi asked in disbelief.

"Yup, right...here." Kaito replied.

Sure enough, it was there. If you listen very closely on certain parts, you could hear a male voice.

"That's impossible!" Gumi cried. "I listened to this song over a million times and I never noticed it!"

Kaito shushed her. "Wait. I sing here too."

The music stopped and "Ai Kotoba" instantly started playing. Gumi groaned. This song was one of Miku's many list of famous songs.

_Listen to this. _Kaito mouthed.

And then it happened again. Gumi heard his vocals in the background.

"Do you want more proof?" Kaito asked.

Gumi sighed. "No thanks. I believe you now."

"Okay, now I want you to sing this for me." Kaito said, handing her a sheet.

As soon as Gumi grabbed the sheet, she read the title of the song. After reading it, she did everything she could to stop herself from giggling.

"What is this? "Yowamushi Montblanc"?"

"Yeah. I felt like writing a love song." Kaito scratched the back of his head. "You don't mind, do you?"

"No, of course not! Anything you write is fine with me." Gumi smiled. "The title is random."

And so Gumi and Kaito spend the remaining day recording the song. It was difficult for Gumi at first. Kaito was a nice person, but he was also serious about his music. He gave her criticism and helped Gumi improve her vocal ability. Even though it was hard, Gumi really enjoyed it and ended up having lots of fun.

"Thank you, Kaito." Gumi hugged him once they finished recording. "I feel better now."

"No problem." Kaito grinned, releasing her. He gave her a USB containing the music with their vocals. "You should go and give this to your boss. I'm sure he'll like it."

* * *

><p>Gumi was rising.<p>

Master listening to the song and loved it very much. The song was released to the public and much to Gumi's surprise, the song immediately ranked first in the music charts. After looking at an article she found on a website, all Gumi could do was cheer and feel giddy.

"Gumi?" Meiko barged in, almost knocking the door down. "What's wrong?"

Luka came in next looking sleepy. "What happened?"

"Oh~ Gumi ranked first!" Rin yelled. Somehow, the little blonde snuck in and saw the screen on Gumi's computer. "Congratulation!"

"Gumi, we should celebrate. It's been a while since you last ranked first. I'll make some pancakes." Luka said smiling. "I'll make Gakupo go to the grocery store and buy a bag of carrots. I think we ran out."

Gumi nodded as the group left the room. The green-haired girl turned off her computer and started walking down the hallway to catch up with the others until she saw Kaito standing in front of his room, stretching.

"I heard the song is doing well on the ranking." Kaito said when Gumi walked by.

"It's all thanks to you." Gumi answered, smiling. "Thank you so much!"

"No problem." Kaito answered, smiling back.

Kaito watched as Gumi ran to catch up with the other Vocaloids. It was all thanks to him that Gumi was finally satisfied with her life. He was the one who created the song. He was the one who made it just for her. He was the one who put in all his effort into making that song just for her. He was the one who spent countless hours stopping Gumi whenever she did something wrong and helped her get it right. Yet it all somehow pained him.

It pained him how he couldn't do the same. Even if he tried, he wouldn't have the same outcome. The memories of Kaito would always remain in the back.

* * *

><p>With more music lessons from Kaito, Gumi continued to sing more songs. Of course, Kaito sang along with her. Each song they sang, it instantly ranked first every week. And soon Gumi found herself getting requests to do interviews, appearing on shows, signing autographs, and even singing on stage. Her newest song ("Mosaic Role") was loved by many and it increased Gumi's fame.<p>

Out of everyone in the world, Master was the happiest.

"I always knew you could do it!" Master said. "Gumi, I'm so proud of you!"

The compliments didn't stop there. Everyone congratulated her and praised her everywhere she went. And it was all thanks to Kaito.

Gumi found herself casually walking into the recording room to meet Kaito. She saw him sitting on the same seat everyday, working hard on whatever song he was creating from scratch.

"Kaito, why do you always make songs for others but not yourself? You should sing a song. Now that I think about it, I haven't seen you release a song since, like, forever."

"Why? Do you want me to stop?" Kaito asked, smiling teasingly.

Gumi blushed. "No! Of course not! I just want you to sing some of your songs."

"I sing, but not for long. Miku and I switch from season to season. When it's spring, Miku makes a comeback with a new song. When the winter season approaches, I do a comeback with a new song while Miku takes a break."

"So it'll take a while for you to perform."

Kaito nodded. "Yes, but these days I've been having problems with my sales. Luka's slowly starting to take my spot."

"Why?"

"Because Luka has a husky voice. Husky voices do well in the rankings during the cold season."

"Then when do you come in?" Gumi asked.

"Kaito?" a voice said. There was a knock the door. "We need to talk."

"Yes. I'll be there." Kaito replied. Turning to Gumi, he smiled. "I guess this is it for today."

"We'll meet here again tomorrow, right?" Gumi shouted.

Kaito stopped. The blue-haired man slowly turned around and gave her a smile as he said, "Good bye."

Gumi watched. She watched as Kaito turned again and leave the room, leaving her alone. There was something about his smile that scared her, but Gumi didn't know what.

* * *

><p>The next day was a shock. When Gumi checked to see the ranking for that day, she was surprised to see that her song was second. The person who ended up snagging her previous spot was none other than Kaito. To her surprise, Gumi wasn't disappointed. Instead she was happy. Gumi was happy to see Kaito in first place because she knew that he deserved it. It turned out that instead of releasing a new song, Kaito sang a cover. He covered Miku's "The Disappearance of Hatsune Miku -DEAD END-" but ended up replacing Miku's name with his.<p>

"Kaito is far from perfection. He surpassed that level a long time ago." Gumi sang in a sing-song voice.

She stood up and walked out of her room to go greet the blue-haired man down the hallway. She wanted to congratulate him and thank him for all the hard work. Gumi was happy, but the happiness didn't last long when she noticed the other Vocaloids from the same company as Kaito standing next to the entrance of his room.

_Did something happen?_ Gumi thought. The green-haired girl knew something serious was happening when she noticed Miku, Rin, and Len crying and Luka trying to calm them down. She noticed Meiko was leaning against the doorway, her hands covering her face to hide the tears. Gumi leaned in to see what was happening inside Kaito's room, but to her surprise, there was nothing. The bed, the desk, the decorations...it was all gone.

"What happened?" Gumi asked. "Where's Kaito?"

"...He's gone." Luka said from behind.

Gumi turned to look at Luka. "What?"

"We got a call this morning." Lily said from down the hall. The blonde-haired girl and Gakupo approached the group looking sad. It was then when Luka began to cry hysterically, joining the youngsters.

"Luka?" Gumi couldn't believe it. The usual calm and cool tuna-loving Luka was now replaced with a crying, emotional Luka.

"Kaito commited suicide." Gakupo said, appearing next to Gumi with Lily beside him.

"_What_?" Gumi shouted, unable to hide her shock. _No. This doesn't make any sense. Kaito's probably in the recording room making a new song. That's it! That's what he's doing right now! He's—_

The curse.

Gumi was in shock. She knew the curse was somehow connected to Kaito's suicide. The fact that Kaito had the skill to create wonderful songs proved his talent to the world, but the curse...the curse...

Was the curse somehow related to the sound of his voice? Was the public not satisfied with the sound of his voice? Is that why Kaito's sales didn't do so well? Is that it?

"D-does anyone k-know?" Gummi stammered, trying her best to hide her tears. "D-does a-anyone k-k-know Kaito's c-curse?"

"I know..." a voice spoke.

Luka. It came from Luka.

"W-what was it?" Gumi asked, unable to hide her curiosity.

Gumi watched as the pink-haired woman leaned over to whisper in her ear, "Kaito's curse was..."

* * *

><p><strong>The songs Kaito mentioned are listed here:<strong>

Dixie Flatline - Just Be Friends (Feat. Megurine Luka)

DECO*27 - Mosaic Role (Feat. GUMI)

DECO*27 - Yowamushi Montblanc (Feat. GUMI)

DECO *27 - Ai Kotoba (Feat. Hatsune Miku)

CosMo - The Disappearance of Hatsune Miku -DEAD END- (Feat. Hatsune Miku)

**When you listen to those songs, is it just me or does anyone else hear male voices singing along on some parts?**


End file.
